The Irishman sparked a ­furious backlash from viewers when he snatched £50,000 in dramatic scenes on Friday.

Conor, 25, and pal Luke Scrase were given a chance to walk off with a share of the winners’ prize fund in a test of nerve.

They had a minute to decide whether to take the cash and the first one to buzz in got the pot as the total climbed higher.

Conor hit his buzzer on £50,000, just beating Luke – and was then told by Big Brother to leave the house straight away.

Derry-born Conor said: “One man wins and the other man loses – it was unfortunate for Luke.

“I was the one who walked away with £50k. It had to be done and I’m over the moon.”

Conor had vowed to fight for a place in the final as a tribute to fans who had saved him from ­eviction four times.

But, defending his decision to let them down to grab the cash, he said: “The winner gets £50,000 and now so have I.

“So all those who voted for me, they got me money.

“In the eyes of people in Derry I’m a winner and that’s all that ­really matters to me. I’m happy with how it turned out.”

Rival Luke, 24, was outraged by Conor’s actions and later branded him a “f**king liar”.

Hitting back, Conor laughed: “He was a fool not to press the button before I did.

“He was just being greedy and waiting for it to go higher and higher.”

Luke is now guaranteed a place in the final after outlasting Conor and sexy Sara McLean, 22, in this week’s White Room task.

But Conor said: “He won’t win – he’s got no chance. There are much bigger characters in there than him.”

In a final swipe, he hinted Luke is faking a relationship with ­Ashleigh Hughes, 21, on the ­Channel 5 show.

Despite Luke being close to the Essex girl, Conor said: “It won’t work on the outside. They don’t have similar personalities. He needs someone sophisticated.” He added: “I understand why people think it’s fake.